Senate GOP Bulls Back Cruz, Lee

While the cloture vote on the Continuing Resolution passed with GOP support on Friday 79-19, several senior powerful GOP senators bucked their leadership to side with freshmen Sens. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to oppose the Reid plan.

Cruz denounced the vote in a statement, saying it is another example of the permanent political class in the U.S. Senate not paying attention to what Americans want. “Today’s vote by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and the Senate Democrats to fully fund Obamacare was yet the latest example of Washington not listening to the people,” Cruz said. “Obamacare is a ‘train wreck,’ a ‘nightmare,’ to use the words of its Democratic author and a union leader who previously supported the bill. It is the biggest job killer in America.”

Cruz added that the “fight continues.”

“Now the bill returns to the House,” Cruz said. “The House showed remarkable courage voting to defund Obamacare, and I hope and believe that the House will stand by their resolve and continue to lead the effort to stop the Obamacare train wreck. Obamacare is killing jobs, forcing people into part-time work, causing health insurance premiums to skyrocket, and threatening the healthcare of millions of Americans.”

Cruz also said that “far too many Republicans joined Harry Reid in giving the Democrats the ability to fund Obamacare.”

“When the bill comes back to the Senate, when the House yet again stands for principle and fights for the American people, I very much hope that Senate Republicans will rise to the challenge,” Cruz said. “We are stronger when we are united, and we can defeat Obamacare only if Senate Republicans come together, stand with House Republicans, and champion the millions of Americans being harmed by this disastrous healthcare law.”